


Bad liar

by ToxicPineapple



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Background Ikuzono, Background Sakuraoi, Conversations, Crushes, Developing Relationship, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Past Romantic Feelings, Rain, Sharing an umbrella, This is just a cute one honestly :), Trans Naegi Makoto, developing crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 08:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27468223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple
Summary: Smiling sheepishly, Naegi takes a moment to catch his breath before he replies, “Well, I uh,” he can’t just say he wanted to come over here just to hold an umbrella for her, he’ll look like a total simp, “I saw you walking a bit ahead of me, and I was walking this way anyway, so I thought I’d run over and walk with you until we have to split? Since it doesn’t look like you have an umbrella.”The look on Kirigiri’s face is impossible to read. Eventually, she shrugs. “I don’t mind,” she says, and she even slows her pace a little, so Naegi isn’t nearly jogging to keep up with her, which he appreciates, holding the umbrella up a little so it’ll cover the both of them. It’s hard, because Kirigiri is taller than him, but he manages! He’s okay. He’s doing just fine, actually.Naegi’s heart pounds a little bit heavily as they walk, as he sneaks the occasional glance at Kirigiri’s impassive expression. It’s not just because of his run. Actually, his breathing has started to even out now, despite the rain and the cold, so really it’s all just… Kirigiri herself, that’s making Naegi flustered right now.---Naegi and Kirigiri share an umbrella on a rainy day.
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 16
Kudos: 85





	Bad liar

The rain starts falling around halfway through the school day. It’s not so expected-- at least, not to Naegi, who packed an umbrella before walking his sister to her middle school this morning, because he read the forecast last night. It’s not like Naegi is always prepared for everything; he’s honestly pretty bad about checking the weather forecast most of the time. But June marks the beginning of rainy season, and they had a couple clear days earlier this week, and Naegi was wondering where the heck the rain went.

Looks like that’s about over now, though. The rain starts off light and then becomes more and more heavy, until it’s pounding so hard on the windows that Oowada and Kuwata start beatboxing and drumming on the bathroom stalls while Naegi scrubs the toilets during cleaning duty. Very cool, guys. He sighs a little as he stands up, nearly wiping his forehead with one of his rubber gloves and then deciding firmly against that, rolling his shoulders back.  _ Sheesh.  _ He’s really not looking forward to walking home in that mess, but his dad works late on Thursdays and his mom is probably already started on dinner. Besides, someone needs to pick up Komaru after her manga club meeting, so, walk he will.

He always has to wait a while for Komaru to finish up with her friends, though, so after finishing cleaning duty and switching back into his outdoor shoes, Naegi hangs out with his friend Maizono while she waits for her father to come pick her up.

Maizono is so pretty, her nose and cheeks slightly pink from the cool air, huddled close enough to Naegi that he can smell the floral notes in her perfume, soft blue hair brushing against his jaw. He crushed so hard on her during their first year, but Maizono came out to him back in March as a lesbian, and well, that’s really not condusive to a relationship. Not one with Naegi, at least.

He’s gotten over her by now. But still, she’s pretty. He’s allowed to notice. She’s been making eyes with Ikusaba recently, which is exciting to Naegi for a number of reasons, but mainly because Ikusaba is so reserved, he used to wonder if she really liked anybody in the class at all. (That’s not the reason for Ikusaba’s nature, and Naegi knows that firsthand, because she told him. She’s awkward, is the main thing, and doesn’t really know how to initiate conversations unless she’s deliberately imitating her twin sister, which she… does a startling amount, actually.) Still. It’s an easy conclusion to draw and Naegi is stoked to see someone like Maizono taking an interest in her. Let’s go, lesbians.

After a while of chatting, Maizono’s father pulls up, and she squeezes Naegi’s hand, thanking him for hanging around with his umbrella as she climbs into the car. A stupid little smile comes onto Naegi’s face, and he waves goodbye. Maizono is one of his closest friends. He’s… really glad he was able to keep her, after crushing on her so hard and for so long. She deserves all the best.

Naegi starts on the way home, trying not to soak his converse by stepping into any puddles. Often times he’s seen a pillow, misjudged how deep it really is, and then stomped right into it, splashing mud up onto his ankle and into his socks like a clown. Komaru has been there to witness these incidents more than once, and, just to be clear, it never gets any less embarrassing. Never. Naegi hates this existence. It’s a cruel one. Especially when Komaru already oppresses him by biting into string cheese and calling him a harem anime protagonist.

As Naegi walks around the baseball field, he notices a purple smudge off to his right, and swivels his head in that direction, popping up onto his toes to see if he’s imagining things, or making a mistake. It’s not that uncommon for people to have purple hair, but that particular shade of lavender is distinct, and Naegi doesn’t think that it’s a coincidence that someone with that hair colour would be walking down the block by the school.

Sure enough, it’s Kirigiri, her hair loose and swaying on her back, that ribbon of hers already weighed down with water, the heels of her boots clicking faintly against the wet sidewalk. Naegi bites his lip. No umbrella, huh? Or even a rain jacket? It’s not like Kirigiri to be so unprepared. Naegi doesn’t know Kirigiri well-- not least of all because she’s the most aloof of his classmates, Ikusaba and Celeste included, with an icy stare and a total disregard of social norms-- but she doesn’t seem the type not to check the weather forecast. She’ll get sick walking out like this, won’t she? Maybe Naegi should--

Hhhhhh. She’s going in a completely different direction from him, and he has to go pick up Komaru. He really can’t afford any detours.

…But if Kirigiri-san gets sick because Naegi didn’t go…

Ahhhh, god, she’s going quickly, he needs to make up his mind if he wants to do anything! In a bit of panic, Naegi tugs out his phone, shooting Komaru a text that reads,

_ [Hey, I’m going to be a little late to picking you up today!!! Sorry!!! Hang out with your friends and talk about manga for a bit until I get there, okay?] _

To Komaru’s credit, the reply comes in almost immediately.

_ [you owe me my dishes tonight] _

Naegi sighs.

_ [Fiiiiine] _

When Komaru’s  _ [:P]  _ comes in in reply, Naegi shoves his phone into his pocket and runs after Kirigiri, splashing water up into his socks (goddamnit) because he isn’t stepping very carefully, running out across the street and behind a car that’s about to cross so as to avoid getting hit. He manages to catch up with her, despite her fast pace, maybe because he was all out sprinting while she’s just speed walking, but Kirigiri doesn’t turn until he reaches her, breathing laboured, holding the umbrella over both their heads.

Kirigiri’s eyebrows raise, but her pace doesn’t slow. “Naegi-kun, what is it?” Her voice is a little cold, but Naegi honestly thinks that’s just an inflection issue, because Kirigiri’s word choice is polite and her expression is neutral rather than outright hostile, like say, Togami’s would be.

Smiling sheepishly, Naegi takes a moment to catch his breath before he replies, “Well, I uh,” he can’t just say he wanted to come over here just to hold an umbrella for her, he’ll look like a total simp, “I saw you walking a bit ahead of me, and I was walking this way anyway, so I thought I’d run over and walk with you until we have to split? Since it doesn’t look like you have an umbrella.”

The look on Kirigiri’s face is impossible to read. Eventually, she shrugs. “I don’t mind,” she says, and she even slows her pace a little, so Naegi isn’t nearly jogging to keep up with her, which he appreciates, holding the umbrella up a little so it’ll cover the both of them. It’s hard, because Kirigiri is taller than him, but he manages! He’s okay. He’s doing just fine, actually.

Naegi’s heart pounds a little bit heavily as they walk, as he sneaks the occasional glance at Kirigiri’s impassive expression. It’s not just because of his run. Actually, his breathing has started to even out now, despite the rain and the cold, so really it’s all just… Kirigiri herself, that’s making Naegi flustered right now.

To label his feelings right now as a crush would be… inaccurate, Naegi thinks. He’s held a couple conversations with Kirigiri, but again, it’s hard. She’s unapproachable. She isn’t hostile, but she also doesn’t seem to put a lot of effort into carrying conversations. In fact, she’s been known to walk off in the middle of them once or twice. Naegi’s never known if it’s because the conversations stopped interesting her, or because she has something else to do. He supposes the specifics don’t really matter.

It’s… admirable, to care so little about what other people think of you. That’s the word that Naegi wants to use for it, because he doesn’t think that Kirigiri is a mean person, or even particularly cold. She sits with Asahina and Ogami during lunch time, and Asahina hugs her every morning, so clearly she has some kind of fondness held towards her classmates, to participate in that, but… mmm. Maybe she’s just cold like that with boys? But Naegi doesn’t  _ think  _ she acts all that different with Asahina and Ogami, except that she consciously chooses to spend time with them… hmm…

“You’re thinking a lot,” Kirigiri remarks, and Naegi blinks, snapping out of his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, sorry! I should’ve been making some conversation, ahaha…” he reaches with his free hand to rub the back of his neck, shuffling his umbrella a little so his hold on it is more comfortable. “I was just… yeah, I was thinking. How could you tell?”

“You’re a transparent person, Naegi-kun,” Kirigiri turns her gaze outward, towards the street, and they come up to a crosswalk. Naegi presses the signal button as they wait for the light to turn green. “You have a very obvious thinking face. Your brow furrows and your lips press together, like there’s something you can’t figure out.” A small smirk appears on Kirigiri’s face. “It’s a face you make a lot during math.”

“Wh-- hey!” Naegi huffs, indignant, feeling warmth flood his face, even more so when Kirigiri giggles slightly. First of all, that’s the most he’s  _ ever  _ heard her say all at once, but also? That’s the first time he’s heard her laugh, he thinks, and the first time he’s seen her smirking like that. It’s… absolutely unfair, how pretty sure is. At this proximity, Naegi can see the way the cold touches her face, like it touches Maizono, turning her nose and cheeks pink. Her hair is slightly messed up from the wind, even. It’s weird seeing her with even a strand out of place.

Humanising, almost.

“I’m just… I dunno, is it weird to say I was thinking about you?” Naegi ducks his head a little as his ears burn hot. Why would he say that out loud?

“I figured as much,” Kirigiri shrugs. “You went all quiet after coming up to me, after all.”

“Ah,” Naegi bites the inside of his cheek, grinning sheepishly. “You’re really sharp, aren’t you, Kirigiri-san?”

Kirigiri smiles slightly, and tucks her braid behind her ear with a gloved hand. “It’s not hard to be with you, Naegi-kun. You’re very open with your emotions.”

“I don’t have anything to hide!” Naegi protests. His ears are on fire,  _ how  _ could Kirigiri do this to him? “But you’re sharp other times, too! Not just with me! Like the other day when Ogami-san came to school with a headache and you noticed and got her to go lie down in the nurse’s office just from the tone of voice she was speaking in? I wouldn’t have picked up on that! I don’t think even Asahina-san would have picked up on that, and they’re best friends!” Would be more than that, if Asahina wasn’t in such severe denial about her sexuality… oh, Asahina.

“Well, I have to be,” Kirigiri says, and she doesn’t elaborate, which leaves Naegi wondering what exactly she means by that, but also, he can’t help noticing that she sounds… almost flattered, really, her expression pleased. At least, he thinks it’s pleased. Her eyebrows are relaxed, her gaze averted, a tiny, tiny smile quirking the edges of her lips. God, Kirigiri is so pretty. Naegi wonders what she would look like if she was laughing, really laughing, full body, so hard she had to hold her stomach.

It’s difficult to imagine, but is Naegi really in the wrong for wanting it? “Even if you do have to be! It’s nice that you use it to take care of our classmates, y’know? Not everyone pays as much attention as you do!”

“I could argue that not everyone pays as much attention as  _ you  _ do, either,” Kirigiri points out, her gaze flickering over to Naegi. “You must have been watching me pretty closely to have noticed my conversation with Ogami-san.”

Naegi stammers a little at that, his face flushing. Crap. Busted. Kirigiri is smiling, though, wider than she has so far, when her heels click to a stop, and she turns to face Naegi fully, reaching out and adjusting the tie on his uniform. Her hand is gloved, but as she smoothes his tie down his chest, he can still feel the warmth through the many layers of leather, shirt, and binder that her fingers brush against.

His heart does a little stutter within his ribcage.

“K-Kirigiri-san?”

“It was crooked,” Kirigiri explains. There’s a faint tint to her pale face that, despite the cold, wasn’t there a moment ago. “You pick up your sister after class, right? Her school isn’t in this direction. You should really go grab her before you lose her to manga.”

“H-How’d you know?” Naegi blinks, feeling his face warm even further. She caught him out? “I didn’t tell you about picking up my sister, did I?”

“No, but you aren’t the only one who pays attention,” Kirigiri’s eyes are half lidded. She gives Naegi another half smile as she steps back. “And I already told you that you’re a bad liar, didn’t I?”

She turns and starts to walk away, her heels clicking against the sidewalk. Naegi starts forward, just slightly, and calls out, “Kirigiri-san, wait?”

Kirigiri pauses.

“See you tomorrow?” Naegi smiles a little, biting his lip. “And get home fast so you don’t get sick, okay?”

It’s hard to judge how Kirigiri is feeling from her reply, which is just a faint hum of acknowledgement, but Naegi thinks that she must be happy, because when he arrives home that night, socks thoroughly wet and sister bullying him for being a social bottom, there’s a text from her on his phone.

Just a little smiley face that shoots warmth straight to his core.

**Author's Note:**

> it has been WAY too long since i've written these two
> 
> dusts off microphone. HELLO TRIGGER HAPPY HAVOC COMMUNITY,
> 
> i miss naegiri.... mwah. precious. love them to death. missed these other kiddos too, especially sakuraoi..... hng


End file.
